I own nothing. J.K.R Owns everything :(
Chapter 24: First Year (Part 13)
6th, August, 1998. 7.30pm...
In the kitchen Hermione turned to the two boys.
"Are we going to show the whole day or just before we went through the trap door?" she asked.
"I was going to show it from where I figured out about Hagrid and the Dragons egg." Harry said. "It seemed logical as that day nothing really happened untill the afternoon." he explained.
"Seems good enough to me." Ron said.
"Okay." Hermione agreed.
"And from there I'll show the rest of what happened." Harry added sulkily. "Your not going to like it. No one is."
They went back through to the living room and Harry changed the memory.
"Okay everyone things are going to speed up from here." he announced, "This ones from the day after we finished our first year exams." he explained as the memory started.
When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.
"You wouldn't be normal if you could!" Charlie exclaimed.
"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione,
"Of course that's what you say." Ron smiled fondly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
as they joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct"
Everyone's jaw fell open.
"I don't even remember what that was about!" Remus cried. "And I was a bloody werewolf!"
"or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterwards,
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Sirius said, looking pointedly at Remus.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You alway done our heads in after any exams or tests." James replied. Remus just smirked.
"And how do you know I wasn't doing it just to annoy you as payback for you doing it to me all year?" James and Sirius pouted as Remus grinned and the others snickered.
but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree.
"Ahh." James sighed. "Much better."
The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan
"Brilliant. They should be up to something fun!" James grinned.
were tickling the tentacles of the giant squid,
"Oh, we must've done that a million times!" Fred exclaimed.
"He likes it." George nodded.
which was basking in the warm shallows.
"No more revision," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done,"
James snorted.
"there's no need to worry yet."
"Harry you don't need to worry!" James said. "With me and Lily as your parents, you were bound to get O's in everything!"
"Assuming he doesn't have too much of James, that is." Lily added in a stage whisper.
"I heard that!"
"I think you were meant to." Cissy snorted.
Harry was rubbing his forehead.
"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."
"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.
"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."
"Danger?" Remus frowned.
"That can't be good." Andy commented, she quickly checked on Teddy who was playing happily in his playpen.
"It's not." Harry said shortly making them, all except Ron and Hermione, groan.
"Is it bad that we're actually used to being in danger?" Ron asked conversationally.
"Probably." Harry and Hermione replied grinning.
Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. "Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around."
"But he isn't always around," Remus said quietly. Dora, who was closest to him and heard it the most clearly, turned to stare at him.
"He leaves the school?"
"Course he does," Minerva replied. "He had a life outside of Hogwarts, you know!"
"Still. It can't be safe with the Stone around!" Regulus moaned.
"Yeah." Bill sighed. "But I'm guessing there's extra protections that went up when he wasn't there?" Minerva nodded.
"Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry."
"Not necessarily true," James commented. "He messed with us all the time, no matter how much we did to him."
"And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down. And if Hagrid can think of raising a dragon, he sure as hell can -"
Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.
When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I realised we'd done that one."
"I don't think that was my problem exactly." Harry smirked as Hermione blushed.
Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter towards the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters.
Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but - Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.
"Brilliant, you've figured something out," James grinned.
"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.
"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had gone white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."
"Why?" asked James.
"I explain in a minute." Harry replied
"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?"
"Oh no!" gasped Lily, grabbing James's shoulder again. James gulped.
"How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"
"What are you on about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards the forest, didn't answer.
"It was just plain annoying when you did that." Hermione pouted.
"I'm guessing you did that often?" Percy asked.
"Yup." Harry grinned.
Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.
"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"
"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut across him.
"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"
"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn't take his cloak off."
"WHAT?" they all yelled.
"Oh, it's got to be the - erm - person who's trying to break in then!" Sirius exclaimed, correcting himself as he went.
"You don't think it was Snape then?" Astoria asked curiously.
Sirius shook his head, "Dumbledore wouldn't have trusted him if he had tried to steal it and he was still at the school when I escaped." he explained. "I just realised it couldn't be him or he would've been sacked."
He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.
"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head -"
"The Hog's Head?" James scoffed.
"No wonder they had a weird bloke with a dragon's egg in there!" Neville laughed. "Aberforth doesn't really care who goes in as long as they can pay."
"that's the pub down in the villiage."
"Why not the Three Broomsticks?" Fred asked.
"It's loads better after all." George added.
"Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."
Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas.
"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"
"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember.
"So yes, then," Remus said.
"Merlin. He must've been a bit drunk. No wonder he doesn't remember." James sighed.
"Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home..."
"Merlin, here it comes." Sirius said.
"so I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."
"There it is. That Stone is as good as stolen now." Sirius confirmed.
"But he hasn't said how to get past it yet." Lily said hopefully.
"That'll come soon enough."
"Always the optimist, eh Moony?" Sirius scoffed.
"Yup."
"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked,
"Well who wouldn't be interested in a three-headed dog?" Dora scoffed.
"Not if you're the one that has to face it!" James said.
trying to keep his voice calm.
"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -"
"Oh no!" Fred moaned.
"Damn it!" George cursed, ignoring his mothers glare.
"Now Voldemort knows how to get past it!" Percy exclaimed.
"Bloody hell, Hagrid!" Sirius muttered.
"It's not his fault, Sirius. He was drunk." Lily said reasonably.
"I get drunk I -"
"Just shut up and drop it." Ron suggested. "Hagrid let information slip. It's been done and there was nothing we could do about it."
"Fine." Sirius huffed.
Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.
"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out.
"He shouldn't have told anyone!" Draco exclaimed.
"Forget I said it!"
"I don't think that'll happen." said Luna dreamily.
"Hey - where're yeh goin'?"
"To the trapdoor!" Sirius said hopefully.
"No!" Lily said at once. "If they have any sense they're going to see Dumbledore!"
"Ah, but do they have any sense? That is the question. Harry is Prongs's kid after all. And Ron doesn't seem that bright, no offence." Sirius added to Ron who nodded in acceptance.
"Hey!" James yelled. "Actually, I'd go to the trapdoor myself, so you're right."
"He has a point." Remus nodded. "But Hermione's there. She'll make them do it."
Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the Entrance Hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.
"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry.
"Hah!" James yelled triumphantly. "See? My boy does have sence! Way to go, Harry!"
"Get's that from Lily." Sirius muttered.
"I heard that!"
"I wasn't exactly whispering."
"Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk."
"Always is." Sirius grinned.
"You've gotten him drunk?" Draco asked amused.
"'Course we have! How else would we have gotten all the information that we had!"
"What information?" Dora asked.
"Never you mind, Nymphadora." Sirius tutted.
"Don't calling me that!" she growled her hair turning firetruck red.
"Sorry!" he squeaked. Dora just smirked, her hair going back to a nice light purple colour.
"I just hope Dumbledore believes us."
"He will." said Sirius.
"Dumbledore's a good man. He believes a lot of stuff most people won't." James put in.
"Unless it's completely rubbish and ridiculous, like half the excuses that come out of Sirius' mouth." Remus added making everyone laugh.
"Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"
"Bloody hell! You don't even know where it is!" James cried.
"Well, it was only their first year." Regulus said reasonably.
"We knew two weeks into first year!"
"Well, I take it as a good thing that they weren't dragged in there they're second week like you two were!" Minerva snapped.
"Argh! If only we were there to tell him!" James sighed.
"Or if he just had the map!" Sirius added.
"Yeah! I swear, he'd better get it before he finishes with Hogwarts or I'll be pissed off at the two of you!" James said to his fellow Marauders.
"Why? We didn't do anything!" Remus said.
"Exactly! Why couldn't you find him and give it to him? Where the bloody hell is it, anyway?"
"Well you know why Padfoot couldn't do anything." Remus pointed out sadly. "I didn't know where it was and I wasn't even in the country at that time."
"Well, you will get to find out in my third year." Harry smirked.
They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction.
They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.
"You could've asked us." George said.
"Yeah we knew where his office entrance was that year." Fred added, "It changed every year." he explained.
Minerva nodded. "It was a security thing just like the passwords in the castle get changed every month or so."
"We'll just have to -" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.
"What are you three doing inside?"
It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry thought.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do.
"That would be because it is." Minerva said kindly. "Not many students want to see the Headteacher." she added.
"Why?"
Harry swallowed - now what?
"It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.
"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly.
Their jaws dropped.
"He's gone?" James asked.
"He can't be gone!" Dora cried.
"The Stone will definitely be stolen then!" Remus yelled.
"Merlin, then Voldemort will be back!" Regulus gasped.
"And you called us dramatic." Harry snorted. "Most of you know when he returned." he added darkly. "For those who don't I'm not telling you when but I will tell you it's not for a few more years."
"He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."
"I bet that was a fake. Voldemort probably had that sent to lure Dumbledore away!" Sirius said at once.
"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"
"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -"
"But this is important."
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"
"It is, but of course you wouldn't know that." Hermione smirked.
"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Philosopher's Stone -"
Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that.
"Of course not." Minerva replied.
The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn't pick them up.
The twins, Sirius and James began laughing.
"How do you know -?" she spluttered.
"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn - that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."
She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."
"Not well enough to beat Voldemort. Especially if he's got a teacher who knows on his side. And now he knows how to get past Fluffy and everything!" Sirius cried.
"But Professor -"
"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly.
"You don't!" Ron groaned.
"You could have heard them out!" Lily pointed out.
Minerva nodded sadly. "I do regret not listening to them."
She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
But they didn't.
"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up. But what can we -"
Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.
"What happened?" asked Lily worriedly.
"What more could possibly happen now?" Dora asked.
Snape was standing there.
"Just Uncle Sev. Thank god." Draco breathed. "He'll only pick on you a bit." Harry nodded.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly. They stared at him.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.
"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.
"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can they?"
"Git." said Sirius without thinking. Lily smacked the back of his head. "Ow!" he winced rubbing where she had hit.
Harry flushed. They turned to go back outside, but Snape called them back.
"What? Leave them alone!" James yelled.
"Be warned, Potter - any more night-time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
He strode off in the direction of the staff room.
Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.
"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."
"Why me?"
"Because you can pretend to have a question about an exam." Luna suggested.
"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong..."
They all laughed.
"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.
"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corrridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on."
But that part of the plan didn't work.
No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again,
"Oh no." Fred started.
and this time, she lost her temper.
"Double oh no." George finished.
"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed.
"Um, yes?" Harry asked making everyone chuckle or smile.
"Enough of this nonsense! If I hear that you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points off Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"
Harry and Ron went back to the common room. Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.
"Damm!" cursed James.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went."
"Well that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.
The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.
"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."
"That's mad!" Sirius said excitedly.
"That's my boy! Don't let Minnie get you down!" James cried.
"No! He - the dog - FLUFFY!" Lily yelled.
"Oh. Damn. Wait. He just has to play some music, right? It'll go to sleep then!" James grinned.
"But still!" Lily cried.
"You're mad!" said Ron.
"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"
"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted.
"So what?" Lily exclaimed in shock.
"Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back!"
"Well, that -"
"Just let it go, Lily." James sighed. "He's going in there and we all know it, even if we don't like it."
"Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see?"
"He's right," Lily smiled. "My son has some sence!"
"You sure switched opinions quickly." Harry observed.
"Well, you were very convincing." Astoria commented.
"D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there. It's only dying a bit later than I would have done,"
"Harry James Potter you stop talking about your death right now!" Lily scolded.
"Sorry." Harry muttered quietly.
"because I'm never going over to the Dark Side!"
"Neither are we!" Sirius yelled enthusiastically.
"I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"
"How could we forget?" James said solemnly.
"I swear if I could I'd kill him..." Sirius snarled.
"I'd help." Remus said.
"Sorry that was my job." Harry smirked.
He glared at them.
"You're right, Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.
"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."
"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.
"All - all three of them?" James said emotionally.
"You really are good mates," Sirius beamed.
"The best." grinned James. Ron and Hermione beamed.
"All - all three of us?"
"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"
"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful..."
"Of course!" Bill cried. "Something's about to happen - go straight to the books!"
"Well, they're bound to help!" Lily reasoned. "And they need all the help they can get!"
"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."
"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam."
"How is that even possible?" asked a dumbfounded Sirius. "That's bloody well impossible!"
Lily was also shocked, but for a different reason. "I only got a hundred and two percent first year!" she exclaimed. "How did she beat me?"
The others stared at her.
"Only a hundred and two? Only?" James said incredulously.
"You two were the only two Gryffindors I've seen with scores that high since I started teaching." Minerva added in.
"They're not throwing me out after that."
After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry anymore, after all.
This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try and break.
"Fat chance of that. I doubt any hardcore enchantments will be in a Firstie's notes!" Dora scoffed.
"There was a few actually." Hermione grinned. Everyone groaned.
"Most of them." Harry nodded, "It was ridiculously easy to get passed the enchantments with the three of us."
"Most adults would struggle with it." Minerva huffed, "Especially all the separate chambers."
"It was easy." Ron shrugged. "We'd expected different attacks and such, you know like curses and large obstacles no 11-year-old should be able to get past."
"You three aren't exactly normal though." Draco smirked. "What seems easy for you would be impossible for most of us."
"He has a point." Harry chuckled.
Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.
Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.
"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dormitory. He pulled out the Cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy - he didn't feel much like singing.
He ran back down to the common room.
"We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"
"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room.
"Damn!" cursed Regulus. "Now who the hell is that?"
Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.
"He had." Neville pouted, "He never stayed put for more than a minute, I'm so glad I finally got a tank for him so he can't hop around annoying Gran all day."
"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.
Neville stared at their guilty faces. "You're going out again," he said.
"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go back to bed, Neville?"
"Not very convincing." Neville muttered.
"We know." Ron groaned as the other two nodded.
Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.
"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
"It's good he's standing up for Gryffindor and all, but if they don't save that Stone Gryffindor may not even exist anymore!" James exclaimed.
"I didnt know that." Neville said shrugging.
"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."
But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.
"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"
"No! Let them go, Neville!" Cissy cried. "You'll get hurt! There's three of them and one of you!"
"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"
"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"
"I didn't mean us." Ron smirked.
"I guessed that but oh well." Neville grinned. "It happened, get used to it."
"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."
He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.
"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"
Harry turned to Hermione.
"What'll you do Hermione?" Luna asked curiously.
"Just watch." she replied.
"Do something," he said desperately.
Hermione stepped forward.
"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.
"Sorry Neville." Hermione said apologetically.
"It's fine." he replied "I'd rather be stuck like that than have Voldemort running around earlier than he was anyway."
Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.
Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.
"That's got to be the worst part." Harry shuddered.
"You know, I'm surprised you even knew that spell. It can't be first year magic." James said thoughtfully.
"It isn't," Lily said. "But, come on, it's Hermione. She knows loads of spells that first years can only dream about doing!"
"Yeah." James nodded. Hermione blushed.
"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.
"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."
"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.
"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.
But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them.
"Yup, that's what it's like the first time you do something big." Sirius nodded.
At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.
"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear,
"Oh, that's the best feeling in the world! It never gets old! Do it!" exclaimed James.
"Do it!" repeated Sirius.
but Harry shook his head.
As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor.
Peeves was bobbing halfway up,
"Uh oh," James sighed. "He can tell if there are invisible people around."
"Really?" Draco asked.
"Yup."
loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed towards him, he narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you a ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"
He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.
"Should call Filch, I should,"
"NO!" they all yelled in unison.
"if something's a-creeping around unseen."
Harry had a sudden idea.
"It's not gonna work on Peeves." sighed Sirius.
"Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."
"Oh my Merlin, my son's a genius!" James exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down in joy.
Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock.
"Can that even happen?" asked Sirius.
"Maybe." Fred replied.
He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.
"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."
"Lucky that Percy told them the Baron's the only one that can control Peeves, eh?" James said.
"Yeah. Lucky I did." Percy said thoughtfully.
"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."
"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off.
"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron.
A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.
James gulped. "Looks like whoever is trying to steal it, is already in there."
"And at this point it really could be anyone." Sirius said.
"Well, there you are," said Harry quietly. "Snape's already got past Fluffy."
Seeing the open door seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them.
Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the other two.
"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now."
"Don't be stupid," said Ron.
"We're coming," said Hermione.
"'Course they say that. They're good mates." Sirius said.
Harry pushed the door open.
As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.
"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.
"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."
"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."
He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop.
Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell on its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the Cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.
"Urgh." said Dora.
"That's gotta be worse than the troll bogies!" James said in disgust.
"Ewww. I forgot about that!" Lily shuddered.
"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"
"Ah, a true gentleman." Dora said sarcastically.
"Well, he's letting the lady go first." Regulus said reasonably.
"But its first into a scary unknown darkness!" Lily cried.
"True."
"If he was a man he'd go first!" Fred said jumping to his youngest brothers defence, "But he isn't! He's a kid! He's only a firstie!" Ron nodded, looking surprised but grateful for his brothers interference.
"No, I don't!"
"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs.
He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.
"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.
"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."
Lily gasped. She closed her eyes and put her head on James' shoulder.
Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.
Everybody's mouth fell open.
"I still think your mental for that one mate." Ron frowned as Harry shrugged.
"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."
Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.
Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.
Lily was getting more worried by the minute.
He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," said Ron.
"See you in a minute, I hope..."
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, anxious to see what would happen.
And Harry let go.
Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP.
"Flump?" Lily said oddly, frowning.
"Does that mean you landed on something soft, then?" Andy asked hopefully.
"Yes." Harry replied.
With a funny sort of thump he landed on something soft.
He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.
"It's OK!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp which was the open trapdoor. "It's a soft landing, you can jump!"
Ron followed straight away. He landed sprawled next to Harry.
"What's this stuff?" were his first words.
"Dunno, sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall."
"They wouldn't be so nice to someone who's obviously trying to steal the Stone!" Remus said worriedly.
"I suppose not," James sighed.
"Unless... no. Never mind." sighed Dora.
"Come on, Hermione!"
The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.
"We must be miles under the school," she said.
"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.
"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"
They all began to panic.
She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles
Lily shrieked.
"It's Devil's Snare!" she cried, clutching James's arm so tightly he winced. "I knew it!"
As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.
"HOW COULD YOU NOT NOTICE?" James yelled, surprising most in the room. The two shrugged, "Sorry." he added, as Harry rubbed his ears as did Remus and Ginny.
Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her, now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound round them.
"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"
"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant curling around his neck.
"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.
"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" gasped Harry wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.
Lily was now shaking in her seat, and James tried his best to comfort her, despite being in major need of comforting himself.
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp -"
"So light a fire!" Harry choked.
"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.
In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free.
"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.
"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis - 'there's no wood', honestly."
They all laughed a little at that.
"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway which was the only way on.
All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downwards and Harry was reminded of Gringotts.
"I'm guessing this is a lot worse than Gringotts." James snorted.
With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank.
If they met a dragon, a fully grown dragon - Norbert had been enough...
"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.
Harry listened. A soft rushing and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.
"Do you think it's a ghost?"
"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."
"How can you even tell the difference?" Draco asked.
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea."
"There's a light ahead - I can see something moving."
They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room.
"B-birds?" Neville stuttered.
On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy, wooden door.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.
"Probably," said Harry.
"They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... Well, there's nothing for it... I'll run."
He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened
He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.
The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge,
"Figures." Ginny muttered.
not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm.
"Now what?" said Ron.
"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.
They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering -
"Glittering? Do birds glitter?" Molly frowned.
"No, Molly, they don't." Arthur snorted.
glittering?
"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly, "they're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean..."
"They have to get the right one," Remus nodded.
"Can't they just summon it?" Sirius asked.
"I don't think they'll make it that easy," Regulus sighed.
"Besides we didn't learn that one until our fourth year." Hermione pointed out.
He looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes - look! Broomsticks!"
"We've got to catch the key to the door!"
"But there are hundreds of them!" Percy moaned.
Ron examined the lock on the door.
"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."
"Good thinking. That ought to narrow it down a bit." Lily nodded.
"And the right one should be a bit squashed or damaged if someone else's just grabbed it, right?" Dora asked.
"Yeah. That's probably right." Minerva replied.
They seized a broomstick each and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.
"But Harry's a seeker! He's got to be able to get it! Come on!" James urged. The thought of Harry not being a good enough Quidditch player to catch even one key, no matter if it's the right one or not, was devastating.
Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century.
"Yeah!" James cried.
"Alright!" Sirius cheered. "You can do it Harry!"
He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.
After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.
"Yes! Go and get it, Harry!" Draco cheered.
"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."
Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell off his broom.
"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off they key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come up at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop it going down - and I'll try and catch it."
"Good plan. It's always best to have a plan." Lily said.
"We beg to differ." the twins grinned grinned. "Going without a plan is always more fun."
"Right, NOW!"
Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upwards, the key dodged them both and Harry streaked after it; it sped towards the wall, Harry leant forward and with a nasty crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand.
Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.
They all cheered so it sounded like there was a miniature Quidditch match in the living room.
They landed quickly and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked.
There were more cheers.
The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.
"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.
The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all.
But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.
They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone.
"That one was my one." Minerva told them all, "Fillius done the keys and Pomona done the Devil's Snare."
Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.
They all shuddered.
"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."
Behind the white pieces they could see another door.
"How?" said Hermione nervously.
"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."
"COOL!" James and Sirius said together.
He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life.
The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.
"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?"
The black knight nodded.
Ron turned to the other two.
"This wants thinking about..." he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three black pieces..."
Lily looked worried. "But... but... it's not like real wizard's chess, is it?" she asked in a tiny voice.
No one answered.
Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think.
Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"
"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.
"Good choice." said Remus.
The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board leaving three empty squares which Harry, Ron and Hermione took.
"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."
A white pawn had moved forward two squares.
"And so the game begins." Regulus announced.
Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?
"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right."
Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken.
"Uh oh." Lily gulped.
The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.
Lily clutched James' arm so tightly he thought that it might fall off. He held her close and they sat on the edge of their seats. Molly and Arthur mirroring them, both couples afraid for their sons.
"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."
Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy.
"Really brings out the demented side of you, doesn't it?" Sirius asked Minerva, shuddering.
"Oh I only done the Black pieces it was Albus who done the white." she said, "For some reason he seemed to think I'd make them too vicious." she frowned.
"Cant imagine why." Ron muttered, "They were vicious enough as it was."
Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall.
Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger.
Molly and Lily's eye's widened to an impossible sizes.
He himself darted around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.
"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think - let me think..."
The white queen turned her blank face towards him.
"Yes..." said Ron softly, "it's the only way... I've got to be taken."
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"What?" Charlie said in shock.
"No way!" Bill cried.
"That can't happen!" James yelled.
"You could've died!" Ginny shrieked.
"He can't do that!" Dora gasped.
"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.
"Exactly! NO!" the twins shouted.
"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices!"
"That's too big a sacrifice!" Molly shrieked.
"I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"
"But -"
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"
"Ron -"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"
There was nothing else for it.
"NO!" Arthur shouted.
"Just a freindly reminder I'm right here so obviously I was fine. Didnt even get a concussion or anything, just a few scrapes and bruises." Ron chuckled. Most people had forgotten he was there and whipped around to stare at him.
"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."
He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard around the head with her stone.
They all flinched.
"Ouch." Dora shuddered.
"More than just ouch, actually. He'll have to go to the Hospital Wing for sure!" Remus said gravely.
"But Madam Pomfrey had me fixed in a few minutes." Ron said smugly. "As I said before, nothing worse than scrapes and bruises unless you count being knocked out."
Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.
"That's because I had." Ron said.
Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.
The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won.
"You know, I'm not as happy as I thought I would be when they won." Dora said.
"Me neither." Draco agreed.
The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.
"What if he's -?"
"He'll be alright," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"
"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare - Flitwick must've put charms on the keys - McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive - that leave's Quirrell's spell, and Snape's..."
They gulped.
"I'll bet Snape's will be the hardest yet!" James sighed.
They had reached another door.
"All right?" Harry whispered.
"Go on."
Harry pushed it open.
A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses.
"Merlin, not another troll, is it?" James said worriedly.
Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.
"Oh, thank Merlin you didn't have to deal with that one!" Dora breathed.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered, as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."
He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.
"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"
They stepped over the threshold and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple.
"What is that?" asked James curiously, but he didn't get an answer.
At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They were trapped.
"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two of our number hold only nettled wine,
Three of us are killers,
waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tried to hide
You will always find some on nettles wine's left side;
"So poison will be beside the wine, right?" James asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yes! Now shhh!" Lily said.
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, are all different size,
Neither dwarf or giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
"Well, that was a load of crap!" Sirius said when it was over. "I didn't understand a thing. Did you?"
"Nope," James answered honestly.
Lily and Remus were the only two thinking deeply about it.
"Got it." Lily said.
"Yeah, same here." Remus nodded. "It's the smallest one to go forward."
"You actually understood that?" Astoria asked
"Yes." they replied together smirking.
"It's a logic puzzle, I used to sit for hours everyday doing them." Remus explained, "Especially after the full moon, I was at my weakest then and couldn't move so I had to do something to keep myself entertained."
"That's why you always kept a book or two with you in the Hospital Wing. For when we weren't there." James grinned.
Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.
"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."
"But so will we, won't we?"
"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire and one will get us back through the purple."
"But how do we know which to drink?"
"Give me a minute."
Hermione read the paper several times. then she walked up and down the line of bottles muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.
"Great, you worked it out!" exclaimed Remus.
"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - towards the Stone."
Harry looked at the tiny bottle.
"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."
They looked at each other.
"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.
"You drink that," said Harry. "No listen - get back and get Ron - grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him really."
"But, Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"
This seemed to be far too much for both Lily and James to handle.
"NO!" yelled James. "You can't go!"
"Someone stop him!"
"Have they gone mad?" Dora whispered worriedly to Remus as James began to hyperventilate.
"Don't worry. Prongs tends to go a bit over the top when he's really, really stressed out. He'll get back to normal in a bit. Just ignore him." he answered quietly.
"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."
Hermione's lip trembled and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.
"Awww." said Lily. "That's really sweet."
"Hermione!"
"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."
"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"
Lily began sobbing freely on James' shoulder. James put on a brave face and smiled. "That's really nice of you."
Hermione smiled. "I couldn't let him go on alone without saying something."
"And come to think of it I really needed to hear it." Harry beamed.
"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"
"Positive," said Hermione. She took a drink from the round bottle at the end and shuddered.
"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.
"No - but it's like ice."
"Quick, go, before it wears off."
"Good luck - take care -"
"GO!"
Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.
"Good luck, Harry." everyone said together.
"Here I come," he said and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.
It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire - then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.
There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.
"Okay give me a second." Harry said getting up to change the memory.